The story appears on

Page A11

October 11, 2019

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeWorld

Synagogue attacker 鈥榩lanned massacre鈥

The suspect in an attack on a German synagogue on Judaism鈥檚 holiest day had around 4 kilograms of explosives in his car and wanted to carry out a massacre, Germany鈥檚 top prosecutor said.

Many questions remained about how the man was able to get hold of the weapons he used in the assault, in which two people outside the building were killed.

As officials sought to reassure an unsettled Jewish community and address concern about rising right-wing extremism, Germany鈥檚 president visited the scene of the attack in Halle and urged his nation to stand up for its Jewish compatriots.

The assailant 鈥 a German citizen identified by prosecutors as Stephan B. 鈥 tried but failed to force his way into the synagogue as around 80 people were inside. He then shot and killed a woman in the street outside and a man at a nearby kebab shop. He is now in custody.

鈥淲hat we experienced yesterday was terror,鈥 said Peter Frank, the chief federal prosecutor. 鈥淭he suspect, Stephan B., aimed to carry out a massacre in the synagogue in Halle.鈥

Frank said his weapons were 鈥渁pparently homemade鈥 and the explosives in the car were built into 鈥渘umerous devices.鈥

The suspect, who livestreamed the attack on a popular gaming site while ranting in English about Jews and posted a 鈥渕anifesto鈥 online before embarking on it, 鈥渨anted to create a worldwide effect鈥 and encourage others to imitate him, the prosecutor added.

The gunman is suspected of two counts of murder, nine of attempted murder and other offenses, Frank said.


 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend